Festival of Lamps: A Few Rhymes

Mela Chiraghan or ‘festival of lamps’ is an annual festival commemorating the death anniversary of the Pujnabi Sufi poet and saint, Shah Hussain who lived in Lahore in the 16th century. The shrine where the festival takes place is situated at the outskirts of Lahore where Hussain is buried with his beloved, Madhu Lal, a Hindu boy. The names of the two lovers have unified to become one, Madhu Lal Hussain, symbolizing their inseparability even in death. With the arrival of spring, masses including an array of subaltern groups led by the Malangs (non-materialist who also rejects Shariah) of various orders, Mirasi (traditional musician caste in Punjab), transgender, mentally challenged and prostitutes from all across Pakistan flock to the shrine seeking wish fulfillment, blessings of the saint, states of ecstasy and union with the divine by means of a rainbow of ecstatic devotional rituals in conjunction with Dhamal (trance inducing dance) to the rhythm of Dhol (Punjabi perussion) and Langar (distribution of free food). Many practices and rituals associated with the Mela challenge mainstream notions of Islam and it is for this reason that in recent years the shrines in Pakistan have become targets of terror attacks carried out by the hardline Islamists. Despite attempts by the state to shift the narratives of Madho Lal Hussain's life and teachings and to inject conservative Islamic rituals such as Namaz Ba Jamat (collective prayers) and Naat recitation into the Mela Chiraghan, the occasion continues to be dominated by a Malang ethos.